


The Transcript of the Fear in her Voice

by Estirose



Category: Zero | Project Zero | Fatal Frame Series
Genre: Gen, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-13
Updated: 2013-12-24
Packaged: 2018-01-01 10:29:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 11,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1043741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Estirose/pseuds/Estirose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yuu interviews Miku about her experience in Himuro Mansion. Followup/missing scene for "Recording the Fear in her Voice".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Recording the Fear in Her Voice](https://archiveofourown.org/works/949830) by [Estirose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Estirose/pseuds/Estirose). 



> This is a recording of Yuu's session(s) with Miku that was mentioned "Recording the Fear in Her Voice". It makes reference to that and the events of Fatal Frame I. It's in semi-script format, and Yuu is being less formal with Miku than he would on something he would be doing for work. 
> 
> Also, this is not meant to be a walkthrough, except in the very broadest sense. Miku misses most of the hidden ghosts, doesn't mention quite a few of the things you pick up in game, and occasionally makes errors about what she's seen when and where. She has a good memory (especially after that trauma), not a perfect one. 
> 
> Note: Even though the English translation of Fatal Frame don't use Japanese honorifics, I feel more comfortable with using them.

YUU: The date is April 26, 1987. Miku-chan, do you want to state your name for the tapes?

MIKU: Um, my name is Miku Hinasaki.

YUU: Thank you, Miku. Now, can you tell me what happened at Himuro Mansion?

MIKU: I-it started September of last year. My brother, Mafuyu Hinasaki, went to Himuro Mansion to find out what happened to his mentor, Junsei Takamine. I didn't hear anything from him for two weeks, so I went to see what happened to him. (sniffle)

YUU: Go on, Miku-chan.

MIKU: I got a ride most of the way to Himuro Mansion and walked the rest of the way. I went inside, and I couldn't see him in the entryway. I tried to go outside, but the door was stuck somehow. There was a door going further in, so I went in to this hallway full of hanging ropes. I saw something at the end of the hall. It was my mother's camera and a notebook that belonged to my brother, Mafuyu.

YUU: Can you describe the entryway and hallway for me?

MIKU: The entryway was partly wrecked. There was debris everywhere, and a hole in the middle of the floor. There was what looked like a body, but I couldn't go to investigate. A lot of the area was closed off. There were holes everywhere. I picked up a scrap of paper from the floor, from Koji Ogata, something about more ropes, and more ropes. When I went into the hallway, it also had a lot of debris, along with the ropes. There was a mirror at the end of the hallway, and two doors. One was boarded up, and the other wasn't. The camera and the notebook were in front of the mirror, and I swear I saw – um, do you want to know about the supernatural stuff?

YUU: I want you to describe everything that you can, Miku-chan. After all, we're the only ones that are going to hear this.

MIKU: I saw a female ghost – I know now that it was Kirie – in the mirror. And then I picked up the camera and notebook. I saw what happened to Mafuyu. (pause, silence) He was running from hands, in the same hallway, and then I could see his face as he was grabbed…. (muffled hiccup)

YUU: It's okay, Miku-chan. Do you want me to pause?

MIKU: Yes, thank you.

(the tape clicks, and then the voices return)

YUU: Okay, Miku-chan. What happened after you saw what happened to Mafuyu?

MIKU: Well, I heard Koji Ogata's voice, and then I turned around. He was up on one of the beams, just lying there. I took a picture with my mother's camera.

YUU: Anything else?

MIKU: That was it, for the moment. And then I walked into the next room. There was a fireplace in the middle and… do you want me to describe all the rooms as I find them, Yuu?

YUU: Whatever's comfortable, Miku-chan.

MIKU: There was Samurai armor in there, and a decorative lion mask, and a lot of drawers. As I was walking through the room, I could see Mafuyu walking up the stairs to the second floor – there was a second floor – but he couldn't hear me. And he disappeared when I tried to get his attention by taking a picture of him, like he was a ghost too.

YUU: Was he?

MIKU: He wasn't then, but I didn't find that out until later. Until I… (sniffle) I need more tea, Yuu.

YUU: Let me pause the tape.


	2. Chapter 2

(recording resumes)

YUU: So, do you feel better now, Miku-chan? We don't have to go through this if you don't want to.

MIKU: No, I want to.

YUU: What happened after you saw your brother's... ghost?

MIKU: I ran up after him, but he wasn't there. So, I explored the upstairs part of the room.

YUU: What did you see there, or find there?

MIKU: I found some old medicine. It was really funny, because I kept finding film for my camera and medicine for when ghosts hurt me. But I... I saw Koji Ogata again, in an area below some collapsed stairs.

YUU: Did you follow him?

MIKU: Not on purpose.

YUU: Not on purpose, Miku-chan?

MIKU: I... I couldn't find any sign of Mafuyu, so I went back downstairs to look for another way past where I was. I saw a shape going through a screen. It was Ogata again. And so I decided to look there, because maybe he knew where Mafuyu was.

YUU: Did you know he was a ghost at the time?

MIKU: I knew, but I was hoping he'd left some clue before he died. Besides, I had nowhere else to go. I suppose I could have crawled into the hole, but I don't like dark tight spaces.

YUU: You were very brave, Miku-chan.

MIKU: Thank you.

YUU: So, what happened when you followed the ghost?

MIKU: There was a screen in front of a door, it turned out. (sighs) Of course, before I found that out, a little girl ghost showed up and pointed at my camera and the sign.

YUU: So, she was helpful, at least.

MIKU: Yes, she helped me several times while I was in Himuro Mansion. I found out later she was a younger version of Kirie.

YUU: So, you opened the door?

MIKU: Yes. It led to this halway with lamps every couple of meters. Ogata was looking for a key there, or at least his ghost was. I went up and down the hallway. The two doors at the end of the hall were locked, but the door midway down the hall wasn't, so I went in. I don't know what kind of room it was, but it was where Ogata died.

YUU: You told me a little about that previously. Do you feel comfortable telling me about it?

MIKU: I... he hid in a closet in the room, and then Kirie got him. She opened the door to the closet somehow and killed him. There wasn't even a body - all that was left was his tape recorder. (sniffle) I looked for the key that he was looking for, but it wasn't in that room. But another door opened while I was looking around the room, so I went in there.

YUU: What was it like?

MIKU: Well, it had a lot of kimonos in there. I walked in and Ogata was still looking for the key. I was picking up some film that was lying around, and suddenly Ogata's ghost came up to me and tried to kill me!

YUU: But you're here.

MIKU: I read in Mafuyu's notes that the camera could capture ghosts, so I tried it. I stopped him for a little bit, but I had to fight him twice more.

YUU: Did you find the key?

MIKU: Yes, after having to find the key that unlocked the drawer that had the key in it. That was one of the times I had to fight Ogata's ghost, right after that.

YUU: And where did the key fit?

MIKU: That was the key that fit in the upstairs door that I couldn't open before. Do you want me to describe it to you?

YUU: If you can, Miku-chan.

MIKU: It was a small room, and most of it was taken up by a table. There was a screen in the back, and behind the screen was a door to a balcony. There was also a door to a smaller room that had some dolls in it, and then a door to a hall. It was in the hallway that I first saw Tomoe Hirasaka's ghost, at a mirror. I can't remember what she said, but she was there. And there was a hallway downstairs, but-


	3. Chapter 3

(several seconds pass)

YUU: But?

MIKU: I went downstairs and thought I saw Mafuyu but I really didn't. He wasn't there. (pause) I-I saw another ghost instead, I don't know how I mistook him for my brother but I did. He had these very long arms, like someone had stretched them out before he died. He came roaring at me to give something back, I don't know what. I had to really run away fast before I got far enough to fight him. (pause again, sniffle) I got him, though.

YUU: And what did you do after you defeated him?

MIKU: Well, the hallway was circular, so I explored it. There were two doors on the outside and one door on the inside. I decided to look at one of the outside doors. It lead to some kind of big hall with a lot of doors. There was this ghost there, a squashed-up ghost that liked circling closer and closer. I also found some information from a former person who lived in the house, I guess after everything... happened. I fought the ghost and came back to the circular hallway.

YUU: And the other door?

MIKU: It was a room with two sections. A small hallway and a larger part - a burial room full of candles. Tomoe Hirasaka's ghost was at the farthest door, but I couldn't open it. It had a seal of some kind. I took a picture, and it was someplace I'd never seen. There was some information information about a ritual on the shrine, so I took it, and then I decided to try the other door. It lead to this dark room with some more stuff laying around, but it wasn't anything useful to getting out the other door. I... I decided to backtrack and check out the third door in the circular hallway.

YUU: Did the long-armed ghost come back when you did?

MIKU: No, but I'd see him later. I did run into another ghost, but... I'm getting ahead of myself. I went to the third door. It was locked, with a number lock - some odd characters. I was stuck for a while, until I checked through some notes that were in Mafuyu's notebook that actually belonged to Koji Ogata. They went with some information on the ritual that I picked up, and I was able to solve the number lock.

YUU: Good thinking, Miku-chan!

MIKU: Thank you. Um, the room was some kind of storage room - the little girl ghost from earlier showed up to point at something. I went in to where she was pointing, and I found out she was showing me where to break the seal on the door. With my camera, I mean. And then I picked up some film and some other stuff, including some information from some kind of folklorist and an article about a missing girl being found. And then this ghost showed up while I was on the second level of the storage room - I don't know how I defeated him, but I got lucky. He touched me and I got tired, but I survived.

YUU: What did he look like?

MIKU: A man, kind of like a monk but not really. I was too busy trying to fight him, Yuu.

YUU: I understand. Go on.

MIKU: Then I got out of there - thankfully, I never had to come back, because I was really scared - and I went out the door that had been sealed. It lead out to this covered porch. There was this door - it was another one of those sealed doors - and then I saw Tomoe Hirasaka again. She left some notes of Mr. Takamine's. I tried the other door on the porch, but it was sealed too, so I took a picture of the seal. It was a picture of dolls. And then I went back and took another picture of the other door, and it had a waterwheel. I could hear children laughing, so I thought maybe that was where the dolls were, so I decided to look for the waterwheel first. I figured it had to be somewhere nearby. (pause) It turned out it was. Um, I'll be right back, Yuu.


	4. Chapter 4

YUU: Are you okay, Miku-chan?

MIKU: I will be. Just pause the recording.

(tape pause)

YUU: So, you found the waterwheel?

MIKU: Yes. I knew I hadn't seen it before, and it made sense that it had to be someplace outside, so I started looking around the atrium. Um, the atrium was... well, there was a grave and a shrine of some sort that I couldn't get into. I mean the shrine - I didn't try to get into the grave.

YUU: I didn't think you would, Miku-chan.

MIKU: There was another one of Tomoe Hirasaka's tapes left on the shrine steps, so I picked it up. And walking around, I found the entrance to something, and it was unlocked, so I went in. It lead to some kind of water area, and the water wheel I was looking for. Um, I found another tape of hers and then I saw what happened to her. (sniffle)

YUU: Do you feel comfortable telling me?

MIKU: But I have told you. She died when Kirie strangled her.

YUU: I know, Miku-chan, but could you tell the tape recorder?

MIKU: Um, yes. I saw Tomoe Hirasaka being strangled, while Kirie stood behind her. I knew that Kirie was responsible, and so did Mr. Takamine. He saw Ms. Hirasaka die, and he knew Kirie was responsible. (deep breath) I had to stop for a minute there, just to breathe after that.

YUU: Do ghosts usually affect you that way?

MIKU: No, it's just because of how she was killed. I didn't know her at all, but I'd been following her, and... someone had to mourn for her.

YUU: It was good of you to do that for her, Miku-chan. Can you tell me what happened after you saw the vision?

MIKU: I took a picture of the waterwheel. Well, of Tomoe Hirasaka in her final moments. I had the sense that the first door in the atrium was now open. I didn't head back immediately, though, because I was still looking for clues about Mafuyu.

YUU: Did you find any?

MIKU: No. I found some film, though, and this weird mirror, and apparently one of the lanterns wasn't lit when it was supposed to be. But I'll talk about that later, so I don't get things confused.

YUU: Good thinking, Miku-chan. So, you went back to the door?

MIKU: Yes. I went back, and the room was full of dolls. Tomoe Hirasaka's ghost was there, too, near a ghost that resembled Kirie. There was a note from Ms. Hirasaka's notebook, and some odd stones. And then I found the ghost that was sealing the other door.

YUU: And then you went over to the other door?

MIKU: It turned out it wasn't that easy. I had to fight two ghosts before that. There was this little girl who came out right after I took the picture - and while there was a hole in the floor that I had to go around, she didn't. And she was hard to see. And she liked grabbing my ankles a lot.

YUU: You were tired after that, I would imagine.

MIKU: I was glad that I had medicine after that one, I can tell you! And then, I stepped outside. And ran into another ghost that dropped from the sky.

YUU: Did she jump to her death, or something like that?

MIKU: I'm not sure, but I think so, because her neck was broken and she came at me backwards. I got to look at her a lot since she kept showing up. She loved rushing at me and screaming, and I was sick of seeing her.

YUU: I'd be scared for sure.

MIKU: She was very gross... but I guess after a while you just stop being surprised by hideous ghosts.


	5. Chapter 5

YUU: I think people who run into ghastly things tend to do that just to cope, Miku-chan. I know you've read some of my books-

MIKU: I've read all of you books, Yuu, just trying to understand what happened. And it still doesn't make sense.

YUU: I stand corrected. But tell me, after you fought that broken necked ghost a few times, did you open the other door?

MIKU: I only fought her once, right then. She just kept showing up and kept showing up and- um, door. I went back to the porch and opened the door. There was a white-haired man at the mirror, or at least the ghost of one. Mr. Takamine. He vanished, but he left some notes and his lighter. I know it was his lighter because he had his name on it. Um, there were stairs going up, but I really didn't pay attention to them. And once I had the lighter, I knew that I could use it to light the garden lantern in that place with the waterwheel.

YUU: I wouldn't have thought of that. What did you find?

MIKU: After I backtracked there and lit the lantern, the top opened and there was this five-sided stone with a little knob on back to insert into something, and a character that I didn't recognize on the front. This one was kind of blackish, but I'd encounter others like it in different colors later. And then I nearly bumped into a ghost on the way back to where Mr. Takamine was.

YUU: So, you had to fight that one, too?

MIKU: I did, but not until later. Her name was Yae, I think she might have been my great-grandmother, but that's also something I'm still figuring out, and I didn't find it until much, much later in one of Mafuyu's notes.

YUU: So, was she standing there, or....

MIKU: She'd hung herself, Yuu. Because she thought her daughter had been abducted by ghosts. It's... It's like mom was, worrying so much about me and Mafuyu. But I think I should go on.

YUU: Just let me know if you need a break, Miku-chan. Tell me, if you're ready, about what you found when you went back to that hallway. Did you check upstairs?

MIKU: I did after I was attacked by a female head. Can we not talk about the female head? 

YUU: She was scary? Hard to fight?

MIKU: She was just... well, annoying. And then I went upstairs and didn't find anything, so I went down the hall, saw Tomoe Hirasaka once or twice more, and after checking out this door in the middle of the hall, went to the one at the end. That one was unlocked. And it lead to a room I'll have nightmares about for years. 

YUU: More tea, Miku-chan? Do you want to pause?

MIKU: Yes, and no. (sound of pouring tea) This... I should describe it really well. It was a rectangular room, some kind of fish farm, with stone platforms and wooden planks. Some netting was hanging down low, having fallen from above. There was a door on the other side. It was an awful place to fight, because you had to worry about dodging ghosts while not falling into water or anything like that.

YUU: Did you find a ghost in there this time?

MIKU: I... I fought Tomoe Hirasaka in there. She's... a better fighter than Koji Ogata or Mr. Takamine, and it really didn't help that I was trying to avoid spraining my ankle or falling - I'd have been dead if that happened. As it was, she got me enough times that I needed some more of the medicine after I won.


	6. Chapter 6

YUU: I'm glad you made it through that. Now, what happened after you fought her and healed up?

MIKU: First I looked at my camera, because I was almost out of regular film, and then I went forward, because I didn't know where else to go. I had to solve a puzzle similar to the one on the storehouse, and that was... well, I can't think of anything scarier than trying to shuffle through notes for that one document, hoping nothing will show up, and trying not to hit the wrong buttons. And I still did that.

YUU: But you survived, Miku-chan. Be proud of that.

MIKU: Right now, it's just... why did I have to go through that?

YUU: I can't give you an answer on that, Miku-chan. I'm just glad that you're here.

MIKU: I shouldn't have... anyway, um. I got through the door and it lead down a path to this kind of backyard. Mr. Takamine was there, or at least the image of him was. But before I did anything about that, I started scrounging for film. Um, the place had a well that Mr. Takamine had been standing next to, and a grave, and a lot of trees. And this kind of shelter. I was expecting a bench or something, but there was nothing in there except an old camera on a pedestal.

YUU: That must have been strange.

MIKU: It was, but the first thing I did was see if there was any film in there. And there was! Enough of the regular film to keep me stocked. I mean, I had some more film, but I think that it might have been more powerful emergency film.

YUU: How could you tell?

MIKU: All of the regular film said "Type-14". The other films were "Type-37", "Type-74", and "Type-90", and they seemed to hurt the ghosts more. There were several cameras like this throughout the grounds - somebody who lived here must have really liked cameras. And, thankfully, most of the time I could salvage film from them.

YUU: That is a little odd. So, what did you find after you salvaged some film?

MIKU: I checked where Mr. Takamine was. I heard a voice - I think it was little Kirie. But I couldn't find her. I found a tape from him, and a mirror-like stone nearby. I couldn't always pick them up - if I had one, the other one stuck to the ground like it was cemented there. This time, since I'd lost one along the way, I was able to pick this one up. And then I started following where Mr. Takamine was going.

YUU: It's interesting, how ghosts were showing you the way.

MIKU: I think some part of them wanted to help me, in some strange way. Anyway, I was following Mr. Takamine when I could hear Tomoe Hirasaka, pleading for me to tell Mr. Takamine something. And then she attacked me. Again!

YUU: Was it easier, this time?

MIKU: Mostly because I didn't have to worry about falling into water, but she seemed tougher this time around. Fortunately, I didn't get hurt as much. I went up the path - I kind of had the idea even then that Mr. Takamine was likely dead, so he didn't need to be told anyway. I just concentrated on the path. It lead to another door in the back, next to some gravestones, and so I headed out that way.

YUU: It seems like Himuro Mansion was a big place.

MIKU: I thought so, too. Anyway, I just kept following the path, and it lead me up to a shrine. I saw Mr Takamine, briefly, standing just slight behind the Torii gate just before the shrine. I didn't know the significance of that right at that point. I picked up some stuff and went into the shrine. And then... and then I found Mr. Takamine.


	7. Chapter 7

YUU: His body or his ghost, Miku-chan?

MIKU: His ghost. I don't think Kirie leaves bodies behind. Well, she leaves bodies behind, maybe. But I'm not sure. She didn't leave any of theirs. It's confusing.

YUU: I can understand. Tell me what happened when you found Mr. Takamine's ghost.

MIKU: She lifted him to the top of the shrine and killed him, Yuu. I saw his ghost drop... and then he tried to kill me. Um, all I remember is that he was a little easier to fight with than Tomoe Hirasaka, but he started screaming in the middle of the fight and somehow blinded me. I'm not sure how. And then he landed on me. I barely survived, but better than I did with her. And then... he whispered something about the gate. It turns out that there were five mirror pieces, and one of them was at the shrine. The other four were... um, I don't wanna talk about that right at the moment.

YUU: That's quite fine, Miku-chan. 

MIKU: Anyway, I managed to unlock the mirror piece, and apparently Kirie didn't like that very much. So she grabbed me. Like Mr. Takamine and his party, I started to show rope burns. Um, did I mention that was how Kirie killed? Rope burns and then you died.

YUU: Where were the burns?

MIKU: At my wrists. First she burned your wrists, and then your ankles, and then the last time was your neck, and she killed you. I... I had rope burns everywhere but my neck by the time I got out of there. I blacked out before realizing this, but I saw the burns when I woke up. And then I met the boy.

YUU: Is this the one you had the nightmare about last week?

MIKU: Yes. How can you tell?

YUU: You've been screaming a lot, and I know that you dreamed about a boy last time I asked.

MIKU: I'm so sorry about that, Yuu.

YUU: I promised Mafuyu I'd take you in. He always thought there would be something that would take you away from him, and he worried about it a lot. Neither of us knew it would be this kind of trauma, and I'm not upset at you for having nightmares. Neither is Rei.

MIKU: I shouldn't have survived.

YUU: Miku-chan....

MIKU: (sobbing)

YUU: I'm going to stop the tape, okay?

MIKU: (still sobbing)

(resuming tape)

YUU: Today is April 28, 1987. Miku-chan, are you sure you're up to this?

MIKU: You're right, it's important. And I'm sorry about the day before yesterday.

YUU: I just wanted you to know that you're loved, Miku-chan, and Mafuyu wouldn't want you to die just because he did. Whatever happened to Mafuyu, I know he wouldn't blame you for it.

MIKU: I wish that I could just see him to hear him say that. But I couldn't see him if he was standing in front of me.

YUU: Maybe someday you'll be able to see him again and you'll know he forgives you.

MIKU: I don't think I could ever go there again to ask.

YUU: It's okay, Miku-chan. Do you want to continue with what happened? What happened with the boy?

MIKU: He kind of disappeared, with my mirror piece. Except he split into two. I can't really tell. There was a hidden door that slammed. Um, did I mention that this was in the doll room? I can't remember going there, but I was there. The hidden door was kind of between a table full of dolls and a set of shelves that were more or less empty. I couldn't follow that one, but I took a picture and there was this scroll. I think it was there the first time I was there. And then I went through the room - there was a note from Mafuyu near where I woke up.

YUU: What did it say?

MIKU: I guess he was too late, too.


	8. Chapter 8

YUU: At least you knew he was alive at that point.

MIKU: And he would still be, if I'd hauled him out of there at the end... (sniffle)

YUU: It's okay, Miku-chan. Let's go on with what happened at Himuro, okay? Then you can think about that.

MIKU: You're right. It's just hard to talk about it without knowing that I let my brother die.

YUU: Mafuyu could be very stubborn, if you hadn't noticed.

MIKU: And I'm just as stubborn. I just couldn't... I couldn't... um. You wanted to hear the rest of the story.

YUU: Yes.

MIKU: I couldn't follow the one ghost that went through the hidden door, so I went the other way. Did I mention that the hole in the floor from before was fixed? I didn't think about it until later.

YUU: Interesting.

MIKU: Mafuyu said something about time being warped in a later note. Um, so I followed the kid. He was running towards the door to the backyard, so I followed that way. 

YUU: Did he lead you to the mirror piece?

MIKU: Sort of. Not right at that moment, though, because I ran across another ghost. I... I ran into this one a lot too.

YUU: Another broken-necked woman?

MIKU: No, this one had been blinded, but her head was still on her shoulders. She couldn't see, but that didn't stop her from attacking me.

YUU: I wouldn't think that ghosts could see anyway.

MIKU: I... don't know. But I found that she was hard to fight, the first time. She liked to teleport around. Of course, she couldn't see where she was teleporting, so more than once she wandered away in the middle of our fights. Unfortunately, if I moved she found me and grabbed me. It hurt! And of course, I had to look at her, and she... there was blood running down her face.

YUU: But you got used to her.

MIKU: Yes, and not moving unless I took a really powerful picture of her, and then I could make a quick move. Anyway, she hurt me less than Mr. Takamine or Tomoe Hirasaka, at least. So, I went on. I went to the place Mr. Takamine's ghost and lighter had been. I kept following the boy. Um, I think right there was where I ran across the man with the really long arms again, and he was not happy to see me.

YUU: Did you ever find out what happened to him?

MIKU: I don't remember. But I finished him off, went to find him, and found out that the door to that awful water room had been sealed. Luckily, I found the spirit sealing it right under the stairway that I'd just passed. It was... um, minor in the scheme of things.

YUU: Still, I can understand if you were upset.

MIKU: I think I was more tired. Um, I got into the room with the water, crossed it without incident, got the code in with anything attacking me, and got to the backyard. The well had a sickly green light coming out of it. I didn't have any other clues, the boy wasn't showing up, so I walked up to the well, against my better judgment. And, of course, there was a ghost. (sighs) There was always a ghost.

YUU: What kind of ghost?

MIKU: She was a little girl. Very disfigured. She floated out of the well. I... just remember the disfigurement. She wasn't that hard to fight, I don't think. It's funny, I had the least trouble with the disfigured ones. The little girl, the blinded woman, the broken-necked woman, and even the long-armed man weren't that hard. So, I fought her off, and there was this stone like the black one, except it was blue. And I could take a picture of how she died.

YUU: And how did she die?

MIKU: The long-armed ghost pulled her in. I kind of hoped I'd run into him one more time so that I could hurt him for hurting her and the other kids, but he never showed up again. I mean, she and the other girl, and later the boy all tried to kill me, but I felt sorry for them.


	9. Chapter 9

YUU: I would too, Miku-chan. Did you find the boy again?

MIKU: Not at that point. I went back to where Mr. Takamine was killed, but besides some random stuff, all I found was the broken-necked woman. Who I had to fight again. Um, once I did that, I went back through the yard and the room with the water. I figured the first place I should check was the shrine, since it had a similar puzzle.

YUU: Was it where the stone belonged?

MIKU: No. But I had another encounter with the blinded woman. And then I looked there, and I didn't see it, so I just kept going. I checked upstairs, everything was still locked, I knew it wasn't in the doll room, and so I checked the burial room.

YUU: And was it there?

MIKU: No, but I checked the place behind it - the dark area with another camera - and found that there was a lock puzzle there. It was kind of blue, the same color as the stone, so I tried it. Um, it was harder than the first.

YUU: But you were able to solve the puzzle, right?

MIKU: Yes. And that lead down a corridor of some kind. I... I saw Mafuyu again there, though not for very long, and he still couldn't see me. But he left a note.

YUU: Mafuyu was always good at that.

MIKU: Yes. And the end of the corridor was another puzzle. When I took a picture, I found that it was a grave on the water. I guessed immediately where that had to be, at least.

YUU: And that was where?

MIKU: In that area where Tomoe Hirasaka had died. I luckily didn't encounter any ghosts there, and I was able to get that stone pretty easily. Weirdly enough, it was waiting at the top of the monument. The path hadn't been intact before, I don't think. I'm not sure at this point. Anyway, I got that, and I then took a picture of a man standing on the balcony before heading back.

YUU: I hope that you didn't run across any more ghosts.

MIKU: I heard the little crawling girl say that she wanted to play, but I never figured out where the voice was coming from. So, I headed back to where the lock puzzle was, and after a while - and another visit from the broken-necked ghost - I figured it out.

YUU: You weren't kidding about that ghost.

MIKU: No. The doors opened up into this room... well, there was a walkway around the top, and on the other side there was a ladder down, with a smaller walkway. There were some pillars in the middle of the room, and this great huge door. I saw the same ghost that was on the balcony - Mr. Munakata - and he was talking about the door. Um, then I saw something hazy around where he was, and I took a picture. It was of a mask called the "Blinding Mask".

YUU: How the woman was blinded?

MIKU: Yes, but I wouldn't find out about that until later. Anyway, on my way out, the blinded ghost attacked me again. And I got her easily. Strangely enough, she left behind matches. I don't think they were on the floor earlier. How does a ghost drop matches? I can understand Mr. Takamine's lighter being left behind, but she's probably a much earlier ghost.

YUU: I don't know, but there are ghosts that could carry material objects - if they were close to where the ghost spent time. Maybe she lived in there?

MIKU: I hope not, Yuu. That place was dangerous. But I got the matches, and went up, and down the hall. And then I encountered small Kirie again, pointing at some candles at a side-shrine in the burial room. I-I'm going to drink some more tea, if that's all right with you, Yuu?


	10. Chapter 10

YUU: Are you sure you want to go on, Miku-chan?

MIKU: I think... I think I should. I want to understand why I'm still alive and Mafuyu's not. Maybe if I go through this, I'll understand better. Anyway, little Kirie was pointing at some candles, and they turned out to be another puzzle. Whenever I lit one, the ones next to it went out.

YUU: Was it easy to solve?

MIKU: It took me a while. I got attacked by the monk-like ghost from the storeroom while I was there. Which was not what I needed, because of course when I solved the puzzle, I got attacked by another ghost.

YUU: As you said, there was always a ghost.

MIKU: Yes. This time, it was the Blinded woman again. It wasn't a hard fight, just a little bit terrifying, because she lost track of me and started walking into the wall at one point. Sometimes she'd do that, regain her mind or her senses, and teleport right back behind me.

YUU: I wish I could be as calm as you, Miku-chan.

MIKU: It's less calm than scared to death and tired. Anyway, I got her, and it turns out that hiding in a drawer was the scroll that was in the doll room. So, I went back there with it, and it turns out... well, I had to fight another ghost first. The little crawling girl, again. She was pulled into the wall by the long-armed man, Yuu.

YUU: I'm just glad that you can still have compassion for them, no matter what they did to you.

MIKU: I think it's because they were kids. Kirie was too, when it happened. She was seven when she was taken away to live in isolation for ten years - that was in one of the early scrolls. 

YUU: It doesn't sound like a very pleasant place. 

MIKU: The sad thing is that the kids killed by the long-armed man were from a later time than Kirie. I found out later that the boy had a crush on Yae's daughter, Mikoto.

YUU: Who might be your grandmother?

MIKU: You have a good memory, Yuu.

YUU: I have to remember things like that. So, what happened after you got the scroll in place?

MIKU: I entered the room with the kimonos that I'd been in earlier. I didn't see Koji Ogata again, though. He never showed up after I fought Mr. Takamine. Anyway, I saw the boy again- he was running towards the other room where Mr. Ogata died, so I headed there. And then I heard the boy running out in the hall, so I poked around. The other doors were still sealed, so I went out to the fireplace room.

YUU: Where did he go from there?

MIKU: He was hiding in the clock. But not for long - he immediately rushed for me, and he did a lot of damage. He liked the rafters for some reason, too. But... I got him, and then used some more of the herbal stuff. That's when I got his note about the crush on Mikoto, and also got to find out that the long-armed man had pulled him into that clock. (pause) I think, even though he did the best job at almost killing me, I feel the sorriest for him. 

(silence for a few minutes)

YUU: Do you want to go on, Miku-chan?

MIKU: I should, yes. I didn't know where to go at that point, so I decided to explore around. The door to the upstairs room was sealed, and I took a picture, and it was in the rope hallway, so I went there. I wanted to see if I could get out the front entrance anyway.

YUU: Could you?

MIKU: No, but I found out that the mask that had been on one wall had gone missing. And I got a picture of what was sealing the door, so that's something. Oh, and the other door wasn't blocked anymore either, so I went in. And... I fought a ghost. Again. At least I'd gotten used to ghosts, and the camera got stronger as I went along, so she wasn't that hard. And then I went back to the room with the fireplace room. The boy didn't show up again, so I went back upstairs. There was somebody playing a koto - I assume a ghost, or an echo of some past event, I'm not sure. They disappeared when I went to investigate, so I decided to keep going.


	11. Chapter 11

YUU: And did you go into the room after that?

MIKU: Yes. Mr. Munakata appeared again, and he walked into a room I don't remember being in before. It was some kind of study or library. There was a locked safe, so I looked around for the key. It wasn't there, of course. Instead, there were a couple of notes and other stuff. One was Mafuyu's, but I think he just dropped it by mistake. It was about that blinded woman I kept meeting up with. I'd already figured out what he was talking about - you don't move when you encounter the blinded woman.

YUU: Mafuyu always told me that you were smart.

MIKU: I like to watch more than I like to talk - I learned fast how not to speak about things most people couldn't see. 

YUU: Mafuyu said something similar, once.

MIKU: He and mom taught me to hide my sixth sense. I... I can't believe they're both dead now. And I'm not with them. (sniffle)

YUU: Remember, Mafuyu loved you, no matter what happened.

MIKU: And then he stayed with a ghost, without me. I should have... I should have....

YUU: Don't focus on that right now, Miku-chan. Tell me about how you found that key.

MIKU: Um, yes. So, I checked the small room on the opposite side of the room with tatami, and I also checked the balcony, but nothing was there. So, I went into the hallway. I figured that maybe I'd go downstairs and maybe I'd find the long-armed man or something. Instead, I ran across the blinded woman. Again. In the hall. At least she wasn't hard to fight?

YUU: Good. So, what happened after you ran across her?

MIKU: Well, I checked the door in the hallway she came from, out of curiosity, because I was still looking for that key. I didn't find it, but the door was sealed, and so it had to be important. So, I got a picture, and it showed this little area that I thought I remembered was downstairs. I went down. Of course, the long-armed man wasn't there, even though I wanted him to be there for once, so I just went down. He wasn't there, the place was, and so I took a picture of a little girl that was hiding in there. There was also one of those stone mirrors, but it was stuck to the ground. So, I went back up to look at the new room.

YUU: This was a big place.

MIKU: It was! And beautiful, too, I think, once upon a time.

YUU: What happened when you got into the room?

MIKU: It was where the koto was, but there was no ghost there. Instead, there were a lot of photos. They-they looked like the photos mom had taken with the camera, before she killed herself. I didn't want to look at them anymore, so I searched the room. The key was there. And so I went back to the study with the safe.

YUU: Anything interesting in the safe?

MIKU: Yes. It was weird, though. When I touched the safe with the key, I could see the Munakata family's arrival - he, his wife Yae, and their daughter Mikoto. He was searching for the secrets of the place so he could write a book.

YUU: I'm familiar with Ryozo Munakata's work, as you know.

MIKU: I've read the books you have, especially the one about the village. Maybe if he lived, we'd have known what happened in that awful place without so many people dying.

YUU: I know.

MIKU: Anyway, the stuff in the safe was about something called the "Mirror Of Reflection", and I think he was looking for it in a room I hadn't encountered yet, in the area behind where that missing mask was. I don't think I found out about that until later, though. And then he showed up again, walking past the study and then to the balcony.

YUU: What was on the balcony? I assume he was there for a reason.

MIKU: I think it was just random, but when I went out there, I saw a photo album on the ground near the tree where Yae Munakata hung herself. I didn't have any other leads, so I headed out there via the burial room.

YUU: Did the album have anything useful?

MIKU: I... it did, but I had to fight Yae Munakata for it first. Yae was a tough ghost to fight - I think she almost killed me.

YUU: If she was your great-grandmother, as you think she might be, I can see where you got your strength from.

MIKU: She did hang herself, Yuu.

YUU: I know that. But she and her husband seemed like strong people to me. Of course, I'm biased. Ryozo Munakata has always been one of my favorite folklorists.


	12. Chapter 12

MIKU: I didn't know that.

YUU: It's not obvious, though I have more of his books than most folklorists usually do. Tell me what happened after you fought Yae Munakata.

MIKU: I got her death note, and some pictures, including one of Mikoto with Kirie. Little Kirie, I mean. Not the big one. And I got a mental image of the doll room, so I headed back there. There weren't any ghosts, but I did have to figure out which doll of a set went on a stand on the other side of the room. And then a drawer unlocked, and I got that missing mask.

YUU: No ghosts?

MIKU: Luckily not! I went back to the entrance using the door to the kimono room. I salvaged some film from a camera in there, and then hung the mask up where it had been. And that got me into another set of rooms - a hallway first, and then a door I couldn't open, and then a door I could. Of course, Mr. Munakata's ghost showed up to show me the way I was supposed to be going, which was to a room with masks. It turns out I had to collect masks. One was the mask I'd used to get into the passageway, one was at the end of one hall, one was the one I'd gotten to get into this room, and one was hanging in this room. I went to grab that one, and heard chanting in the next room over. It turns out that it was a window to the past.

YUU: What did you see in that, Miku-chan?

MIKU: How the blinded woman was blinded. With the Blinding Mask. It turns out that the high priest... no, I'm not talking about this. (sob)

YUU: It's okay. Where did the mask go?

MIKU: On a door in the room, but I had to fight the blinded woman first before I got to do that. I figured that something important was in the next room. Besides, if I put all the masks on the pillar, I was trapped in that room. 

YUU: The mirror of reflection?

MIKU: Mask of reflection, actually. Did I say it wrong, before? Anyway, I put the mask on the door, and it led to this walled garden of sorts. There was another tomb - this will become relevant later - plus two doors. The door I could open led right back to the lantern hallway, the door I couldn't go through before. I think I picked up some film there and went to the other door. It had one of the sliding puzzle locks, and it turned out the little stone was on the tomb.

YUU: That was easy.

MIKU: The puzzle was kind of hard, though, and I had that female head show up for some reason while I was pondering it. Fortunately, she was easy to fight.

YUU: What was behind the door?

MIKU: A room with four Buddhas and an altar. The mask was right before the altar, but unfortunately, it had a ghost to go with it. Mr. Munakata this time. He tried to... kindness me to death, thinking I was Mikoto, or something like that.

YUU: Kindness you to death? How does that work?

MIKU: He liked shaking me. He also teleported a lot, and he was really fond of teleporting behind me. I just ran around the room a lot so he couldn't catch me.

YUU: It's kind of interesting how he acted, given that you're probably his great-granddaughter.

MIKU: But I didn't know that at the time, and I doubt his ghost did. He just thought I was Mikoto. I'm glad she got out of there, running into her father's ghost would have been nasty. (sigh)

YUU: So, you came out of there safe.

MIKU: Yeah. I was kind of hurt, but I had sacred water, so I used it and checked out the room. There was a door I couldn't open, so then I headed back. I was able to put the four masks on the pillar and that unlocked the other door. Plus, the Mask of Reflection got me out of the room back into the hallway.

YUU: And then you were able to get the Blinding Mask? Which ghost showed up this time?

MIKU: None! I was amazed. It was actually a very beautiful room, considering its purpose. But I just kept going. I took the door back to the rope hallway and headed back towards that pit room from there. I knew Mafuyu had gone there; I saw his ghost. I had to follow him.


	13. Chapter 13

YUU: Miku-chan, are you okay?

MIKU: I-I'll make it. (sniffle) Um, where was I? I was going back to the room with the ledges. I did have an encounter with the broken-becked ghost once more on the way there - I think that was the last time I ran across her. And then I got to the place I wanted to be - only to be attacked again. Not by her. By Mr. Munakata. He tried to kindness me to death again, and it's really hard to fight a ghost that likes to teleport behind you and try to hug you to death.

YUU: I definitely have to wonder if he sensed the family connection.

MIKU: I didn't care, I had a brother to find and being hugged to death was not part of my plan. I wish I had, but I didn't know that... why didn't I stop him?

YUU: Miku-chan.... (sighs) I don't think you could have dragged him out of there. He made the choice.

MIKU: I could have died in there with him. Been with him.

YUU: Do you know that Ryozo Munakata had to leave his mentor, Seijiro Makabe, behind in Minakami village before it disappeared? I don't have his journals, but I've read them. He felt guilty about it too, but he couldn't talk about it, not even to his wife. In fact, his notes said that he couldn't talk about it especially to his wife. Which I thought was odd, because apparently she came from the village. Maybe he didn't want to upset her.

MIKU: I understand that guilt. 

YUU: Mafuyu lives in you, Miku-chan. You have to live to keep his memory alive. You have to remember him, both good and bad.

MIKU: You could have done that.

YUU: But I wouldn't have known what happened to him. I would have just known I'd have lost my best friend and his sister, and not known why. It was why Seijiro Makabe sent Ryozo Munakata off - he knew it was important that somebody live to tell the tale, even if it was incomplete. We might not know what happened to Seijiro Makabe, but we know something of what might have happened to him.

MIKU: Um, that doesn't help very much, Yuu.

YUU: Maybe someday Mafuyu will be able to tell you the same thing. I know from Kunihiko Aso's writings that sixth senses were very peculiar things - they could go away after a trauma and then come back.

MIKU: It's not coming back, Yuu. And I deserve to lose it.

YUU: No you don't, Miku-chan.

MIKU: (brief pause) I think I'll go on. I fought him, got down, put the Mask where I'd seen it was supposed to be and had to fight the blinded woman one more time. And then... the doors opened. I didn't have to solve a puzzle other than finding that mask. I went in to follow Mafuyu, and Kirie got me again after I found the second mirror piece in Mr. Munakata's remains. This time, I woke up outside the doors I'd just gone into, with rope burns around my ankles.

YUU: Where did you go after that?

MIKU: Right back in. I was still trying to find Mafuyu, after all. I had to fight some random men - it was partially caved in to boot. I got part of the way down the path, and it was blocked, but I saw Mafuyu through a small space in the rock. I didn't know how to follow him until Little Kirie showed me a document pointing the way. It turns out that the shrine maiden enters a different way and I could use that to get to where Mafuyu had gone. It turns out that the shrine in the atrium covered up her entryway, so I headed there. And then I had to find another stone to open that one. It was in the room with the Buddhas, it turns out, so I headed back there. There was this ghost I encountered in the hall where I'd fought the other two ghosts - an almost skeletal man that was missing his bottom half. And then I was able to get back to the room with the Buddhas. And next... I need a rest, Yuu.

YUU: I understand. Thank you for telling me all of this, Miku-chan.

MIKU: I just don't want to argue any more.

YUU: Miku-chan....

MIKU: Talking about this isn't going to bring him back.

YUU: I know. But it's helping me, too. Can you tell me the rest of the story, Miku-chan?


	14. Chapter 14

MIKU: I-I'll keep trying, but I may not be able to finish this, Yuu.

YUU: Do the best you can, Miku-chan.

MIKU: So... where was I?

YUU: The room with the Buddhas, looking for the stone for the puzzle.

MIKU: I think that was when I had to solve a puzzle about ropes on the Buddhas. 

YUU: That ties into the one puzzle in the shrine. Didn't you have to solve an earlier puzzle involving Buddha statues?

MIKU: Yes. I think there was something in the documents about the importance of the five Buddhas.

YUU: I would have liked to read them. All of this seems interesting to me in a professional sense.

MIKU: (sighs) Yuu, I still have all the documents I picked up there. I didn't want to let them go. They were all I have left of what happened to Mafuyu, since I lost the camera.

YUU: You do? I guess that you would. You're a lot like Mafuyu. Can I see them sometime, when you're feeling better?

MIKU: I don't think that's going to happen, so... I'll show them to you later, as long as you give them back.

YUU: Thank you, Miku-chan. So, you solved the puzzle?

MIKU: Yes. And then as a reward, I was attacked by the head of the family, and he had a katana. I was lucky, I somehow came out of the whole thing alive. Somehow. And I got the stone and headed back... I'm sorry, I just want to get this over with.

YUU: Take a deep breath, Miku-chan. Tell me slowly what happened. It'll help.

MIKU: I don't think so. (pause) But I guess it's best that people know what happened there. Just in case. I got the stone, and I tried the door I couldn't get through before. It opened into that hallway between the atrium and the room with the fish. I decided that I'd take it instead of going all the way back around. I headed into the atrium and then to the shrine, and luckily didn't run into anything. I was able to solve the puzzle in peace. And then I had to do more stuff. 

YUU: Like what, Miku-chan?

MIKU: Let me tell you what happened, so that I get it out. The Himuro family had a hellgate. They considered it their duty to keep it closed, and they had to do it by sacrificing a girl raised primarily in isolation. Every ten years, they did two things: they blinded a woman to pick out the rope shrine maiden, and also the girl that would be her successor. The girls had to be slightly over seven years old. I guess they had to force the girls away from the world and make them willing to die as a sacrifice. Except Kirie fell in love with a man that looked a lot like Mafuyu. And her sacrifice failed. Everybody died. The only family that had any peace in the house was the Munakata family, and even they eventually died, most of them.

YUU: Except for your grandmother.

MIKU: If she was my grandmother, yes. In the room with the masks, I watched them blind the last blinded woman. I don't know what would have happened to her after the ceremony. I don't think they cared. I think the priests cared about Kirie, too, in their own way. And that's who I got to deal with next. The priests that worked for the head of the family, the ones that helped raise Kirie. (sighs) He decapitated them, Yuu. I kind of felt sorry for them, but I was also upset at them too. They wanted the best for their charge, but they also hurt her.

YUU: I remember you mentioning several stones.

MIKU: Yes. One right there at the atrium, one out on the water, one in that enclosed garden, and one out in the yard with the well. They were buried more or less where they died. And I got to fight each one of them.

YUU: I assume you fought the one in the atrium first.

MIKU: He wasn't too bad. They were easier than their master. I got the first one fairly quickly, the second one at the water took more time. I rested a little, and then I headed towards the one in the yard. I think I had to fight two ghosts along the way that decided to show up in the room with the water. And speaking of water, I think I'm going to have more tea.

YUU: And just tell me if you want to pause for the afternoon, Miku-chan.

MIKU: I think that's a good idea. And I'll get you the documents. They're in a drawer.

YUU: Whenever you want to do that, Miku-chan.


	15. Chapter 15

YUU: Today is April 29, 1987. Miku-chan, are you ready to resume?

MIKU: I guess so. Where were we?

YUU: You were on your way to fight the ghost in the yard, but you got waylaid by the ghosts in the water room.

MIKU: Yes. I fought him, and then I headed back through the room - no ghosts this time - and went through the room with the Buddhas in order to go for the fourth one. I guess I could have gotten him before the one in the yard, but I don't think it mattered. The priest in the enclosed garden gave me some trouble because his favorite tactic was to sink down into the ground and grab my ankles. He's actually the priest that gave me the most problems, and I was glad I only had to deal with him once. But I got him, and I headed back to the shrine in the atrium.

YUU: I hope you were able to get into the Shrine Maiden's entrance then, after all you went through.

MIKU: Not quite. It turns out you needed all four priests' seals plus the Master's seal. A bloodstain showed up and I followed it through the burial room and through the circular hallway into that hall. And then I had to fight that nightmare of a ghost again. Even Kirie wasn't half as terrifying as he was, but that's another story.

YUU: It seems like you were encountering ghosts at every turn at that point. 

MIKU: It sounds like it. It's like the place threw everything it could at me to try to stop me. I even got a really nasty ghost monk at one point.

YUU: It was trying to protect itself.

MIKU: I think that's what happened as well. I was in danger of ending the curse, so the place had to stop me. The funny thing was that I wanted to rescue Mafuyu, and nothing else.

YUU: So, whhat happened after you encountered him? I started to read some of the documents last night, but there's a lot of them.

MIKU: I used his seal to open up the Rope Maiden's entrance. Of course, I discovered when I got down that I had to find yet another key of sorts, but that was also just before Kirie got completely annoyed and tried to kill me. I had rope burns every place but my head, remember? Her last touch would have killed me.

YUU: You're still here, though. What happened?

MIKU: I... well, I was more interested in finding Mafuyu, so I ran away, right back up the ladder. Kirie chased me, but she was slow, so I was able to get most of the way up. I think I slipped on one rung in my panic, and she almost got me. But at the last minute, Young Kirie saved me, got me out of there before Kirie could hurt me. I blacked out after that, and then woke up with the koto.

YUU: With the koto in your hands, or in the room with the koto?

MIKU: In the room with the koto, I mean. It was really weird. I lost consciousness the first two times because of Kirie, and somehow she moved me from place to place, and I never questioned it. But Little Kirie somehow got me upstairs. 

YUU: Some things are inexplicable, Miku-chan. What happened in the koto room?

MIKU: Little Kirie was there, indicating I do something with the koto. I didn't know what until I found this really old sheet music - turns out that the koto was used to open this secret door. It led uptairs. I got to see Kirie just before she turned evil, and had one more ghost before I ended up... well, over the room with the Buddhas, trying to balance my way across beams. Luckily, I got through without any ghosts, and then I found myself in a hidden room. It was where they hid Kirie, in an unseen attic. Little Kirie was there, and I could... I just can't understand why they'd raise a little girl like that, in that tiny room. I found the key to the doorway in the room below the atrium shrine, but before I could think about that, Kirie came out of the mirror and started to chase me. Thenkfully, the nearest door led out to a familiar area - the hallway leading from the atrium to the fish tank room. I ran out of there, and she lost track of me... for a while.


	16. Chapter 16

YUU: Kirie sounds like a persistent ghost.

MIKU: Not as much as that woman with the broken neck, or the blinded woman. But much more deadly. (sigh) Where was I?

YUU: In the atrium, after Kirie chased you.

MIKU: Right. So, I went back to the shrine with the hidden passage, got down the ladder, and managed to unlock the door to the passageway. Kirie didn't show up this time, so I kept going the only way I could. Down a passage, across a chasm - I think I had a ghost or two attack me there - and I think that's where I saw where Kirie died. It was an octagonal room, with a platform in the middle, and... and it looked like there were fresh bloodstains there, as if Kirie had just died instead of died a hundred years ago. I can remember the place perfectly, Yuu, I'll never forget it.

YUU: Here, take a deep breath and have more tea, Miku-chan. Do you want me to pause the tape?

MIKU: That... I think that's a good idea. This is... I'm almost at the point where I lose Mafuyu.

YUU: Then we'll take all the time you need.

MIKU: Thank you, Yuu.

(tape pause)

YUU: Can you go on, Miku-chan? Can you tell me what happened with Mafuyu?

MIKU: Um, yeah. I did have to fight a shrine maiden in that room, but I got through there, and I got down the hall. The last door took me to the hellgate area. They... when they kill the shrine maiden, they take the bloodstained ropes and stretch them across the door. It's supposed to hold for another ten years, until they can sacrifice the next maiden. I. I looked around a bit, found where the mirror was supposed to go, and then... well, I found Mafuyu, standing there as if paralyzed, gazing at nothing.

YUU: Deep breaths.

MIKU: I called his name, and he kind of responded, and then Kirie showed up. She stopped him from going to me, and told him that they'd always be together. I... I guess they're always going to be together anyway. Why did the villain win this time? I mean... (sobbing)

YUU: Here, a handkerchief and some tea. Take deep breaths. I'll pause the tape again.

(tape pause)

YUU: Okay, Miku-chan. What happened then?

MIKU: She ate him! I think I screamed.

YUU: She what? Ate him?

MIKU: She flowed over him. He wasn't there when she was done. And then I had to fight her. I was scared, and it didn't help that the earth was rumbling and spoiling my aim. She was hard to fight, but at least she moved slowly, so I had plenty of time to aim. The camera broke in the middle of the fight, and flew out of my hands. You'll never believe what was in there! It was the missing piece of the mirror. Nobody would have been able to assemble it without taking our family's camera apart. Which means that we were the only ones that could save everybody.

YUU: That makes a sad amount of sense. Do you know anything about your family's camera?

MIKU: I never thought to ask. I didn't even want it, after what happened to Mom. To know that one of the pieces was in there. Why? (sob)

YUU: Mafuyu said that he saw a mirror in there, but Kunihiko Aso made his cameras out of some strange materials. That's who made your camera, Miku-chan. One of my ancestors. I'm sorry that he did that, not realizing how important that mirror piece was to ending the curse.

MIKU: It's not your fault, Yuu. 

YUU: It's not your fault that Mafuyu decided to stay, either. (Pause) Tell me what happened after you found the last mirror piece.

MIKU: I... put it in, and it ended Kirie's curse. Little Kirie showed up, merged with her older self. I... I don't like Kirie most of the time when I think about her, but I'm glad she was released from the curse. Even if she did take my brother away from me, in a way. Then the ceiling started coming down. Mafuyu and I started to run, and then he stopped and declared that he was staying. With Kirie. I... I should have argued with him.

YUU: Didn't you just say that the ceiling was coming down on you?

MIKU: Yes, and I should have stayed there, but some part of me wanted to survive. He told me to go, and I did. I should have grabbed his arm. (several minutes of sobbing, with gentle hushing, followed by a tape pause)

YUU: It's not your fault, Miku-chan. Mafuyu made his choice. He was determined to stay with Kirie, and from what you've just told me, I don't think you could have dragged him out. You had to go down a ladder, right?

MIKU: Yes, but... I wanted to live. I don't know why. I got out of there, and I couldn't build up the courage to go back in again. I... should have... I should have....

YUU: You can't blame yourself forever. I know it seems to you like you should, but it was Mafuyu that made the choice. I think it wasn't the best choice, but it had nothing to do with you.k

MIKU: It just makes no sense that he stayed! I mean, we could have done something, if he really wanted to be there for her. Find a way to save up the money to buy the house, maybe. Just so that he lived.

YUU: I know. And had Mafuyu thought of it, had you both had the time, I'm sure you would have. Hindsight is 20/20, after all. I think you should just go on living, and then when your sixth sense heals, you should go back and tell him exactly how you feel.

MIKU: I... never thought of that. But it's going to be a long time.

YUU: I think it'll be sooner than you think. Have faith, Miku-chan. 

MIKU: (sobbing)

YUU: Deep breaths, and tea.

(Minutes of silence and sobbing)

MIKU: And then you found me, while I was making my way back. I think that's the end of the story. The story of how the curse of Himuro Mansion was broken.

YUU: (softly) Thank you, Miku-chan. I'll finish off the recording now, and make sure you get these tapes and a tape recorder. And we won't tell Rei.

MIKU: Thank you, Yuu. I... I think finishing this is a good idea. 

YUU: You're welcome. For the record, today is April 29, 1987 and this is the end of this recording.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are a ton of notes I could write here, but I'll keep it brief. As I wrote this, I tried to put myself in Miku's perspective, instead of mine as a player's. Some of it didn't make sense in-game. Why were there cameras on pedestals throughout the game? Why did I keep finding all this film? Why can you only pick up one Stone Mirror? I answered these as best I could, with the exception of the film. That had to be from either Ryozo or even possibly Kunihiko Aso(u), the Camera Obscura's inventor. In game, you also have to find save points, but I skipped that bit as I could find no logical in-game reason to have them.
> 
> Also, the canon ending makes little sense to me after reviewing it for this story, and not just because Mafuyu in canon is an idiot.
> 
> Sourcewise, I used [Chozo Abigaba's](http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps2/529305-fatal-frame/faqs/21774) walkthrough on GameFAQs to supplement my memory, though I deliberately added, removed and relocated some ghosts. For example, in order to get the first appearance of Female Head, you need to go into the Fish Tank room and fight Tomoe instead of going immediately to light the lantern in the Abyss. I also used the older version of kangeis' [Himuro Mansion map](http://kangeis.deviantart.com/art/Fatal-Frame-Himuro-Mansion-280931636) as a visual aid for certain parts of the Mansion.


End file.
